AN INTERVIEW WITH MARY WAIBEL

Writer people! I'm playing interviewer today.  Mary Waibel actually trusted me to ask questions about her new book, QUEST OF THE HART. She even said I could ask anything. Anything? I know right. A total risk on her part, but I decided to behave. Almost.

Princess Kaylee has never had to fight for anything. Her entire life has been arranged, even her marriage. But when Prince Devlin falls under an enchantment, she finds she is willing to do anything to save him, even if it means fighting a dragon.

Devlin's own sister, Princess Arabella, is behind the deadly plot. She wants the throne and will use any means necessary to gain it. Her perfect plan unravels, leaving Devlin caught in a magical sleep that is slowly spreading through the kingdom of Breniera. All Arabella needs to finish her spell and claim the crown is a drop of Kaylee's blood, but obtaining the single drop is proving more difficult than expected.

To save her betrothed, Kaylee embarks on a quest to find an ancient sword and gather a drop of dragon's blood, while trying to stay out of Arabella's traps. But Arabella's traps aren't the only danger. Time is everything. For once the last inhabitant of the kingdom falls asleep, the spell will be sealed, and not even true love's kiss will break it.

Ooh! Intriguing. 

1. So Mare, can you tell us what Quest is about? Quest is a reverse Sleeping Beauty tale, where the princess goes on the quest to wake the prince from the spell.

Nice! I wonder if she messes with him while he's asleep? That would be wrong but totally fun.

2. Is this a stand alone novel or a series?  It is a stand alone novel, but there are companion novels to follow. Charmed Memories, releasing in August from MuseItUp Publishing, follows Kaylee's brother Trevor as he searches for his missing bride. I am currently working on a third book that follows another character from Charmed Memories, as well as toying with an idea for Arabella, the villainess from Quest.

Exciting!

3. Who is your favorite character in Quest? Of course, I always find myself rooting for Kaylee, the heroine. Then there's Sabrina, the one who helps her. And Grizzelda, the old crone. Of course, Arabella, the villainess, was fun to write. And then there's Thaddeus, the knight betrayed by his princess. I have a feeling we might be seeing Thaddeus and Sabrina, and maybe another character from Quest in a future tale.

4. Who's the hottie? Will we swoon? Devlin is certainly a hottie. Unfortunately, he's asleep for most of the story. Enter Thaddeus. He's a knight, sworn to protect his princess, and he takes his duties seriously. And his looks don't hurt, either.

Looks never hurt!

5. Does he wear a kilt or breaches?  Trousers. Leather trousers. 

Damn! What's a girl have to do to get a man in a kilt?

6. Is it true what they say about kilts? I'm just asking in the name of fictional history here. I think most of us would like to know if dudes really wear underwear or not.  Well, I've heard the answer is no. But, I've never tested it to see.

We are now accepting volunteers for kilt wearers...Tapping fingers. Smiling mischievously. Husband is studying me closely. 

We will be suspending the call for kilt submissions until further notice.

7. Is your blog interviewer asking you appropriate questions? LOL! Were they supposed to be? I'm still waiting for the underwear one I was warned about.  Darn! Should've kept my mouth shut on that one :-)

Evil grin.

8. Where can we find Quest? Quest of the Hart is available at MuseItUp Publishing (you get to pick the version you want, but they send you all there are, so if you ever switch readers, you don't lose your book) and Amazon and at Barnes and Noble soon. 

9. What can we expect from you in the future?  Charmed Memories is coming in August and I'm finishing up a third for submission. I'm waiting for CP (critique partner) feedback on a fantasy/paranormal romance (faeries and sorceresses and lots of cool things!) so I can tweak that and submit. I just started playing mentally with what I think will be a NA (New Adult) romance based on a kiss on the kiss-cam. And there are more ideas partly done, in need of work, or waiting for me to sit down and write. If anyone figures out how to add more time to the day, and still get sleep, let me know! I'm always in need of more time.

Time? Interviewer sighs deeply. It's s lovely concept. 

Author Bio:

Mary lives with her husband, son and two cats. When she isn't twisting fairytales, she enjoys reading, playing games, watching hockey, and camping. Her debut novel, Quest of the Hart, is available from MuseItUp Publishing right now. The Lost Princess, a companion novel, will be available from MuseItUp Publishing in August 2013

 You can find Mary Waibel at:

http://marywaibel.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/authormarywaibel

@mewtweety14 (twitter)

Buy Link (Quest):

https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=620&category_id=6&manufacturer_id=292&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Book Trailers (Quest):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5SvEAbFQtE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d-ohY2CEVo

A huge thank you to Mary for sharing with us! And stay tuned for more information about kilts and what to wear or not wear with them. ;)

Happy week people! 

HUMANITY

Today's post isn't about writing. It's about humanity. My heart is saddened tonight. When is it ever okay to blow up a human being? A child? At this hour, I don't know who's to blame for the Boston bombings. I just know that human beings did this to other human beings. Human beings sat and planned for this day. They created bombs to destroy, maim, and kill. And I'm sure they smiled when they succeeded. The first word that comes to mind for such madness is EVIL. But are we capable, as a society, to wrap our heads around that word? In the short term, I think so. But as the days pass on, I'm not so sure. We seem to forget as though we have to. As though a false sense of peace depends upon us forgetting the atrocities that drive us to pick up arms. But let us not forget the wounded. The dead. Not today. Not ever. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Boston.

WHAT THE HECK DOES THIS MEAN?

The desk of a writer can be a scary and confusing place for outsiders. Entering uninvited should be met with the same caution as entering Poe's lair. And yes, I believe he had a lair. You cannot write The Raven and not have one.

In slightly lighter environments, writer's doodle. When the muse hits, we rush to jot down our ramblings on paper.  We open a new doc. Enter a few lines, knowing that only we will be able to piece together the puzzling thoughts we've jotted down on random pieces of paper. We target old bills, envelopes, and shamefully, a child's report card. Relax. It only happened once. I was out of Post Its and the legal pads were out of reach. No judging.

So it's true to say that no notable surface is safe. But sometimes our notes get lost, shuffled around, and buried under piles of other crazy-sauce. Weeks pass. Dust settles. We cough and decide to clean up the clutter. Only to discover that old Post It. The envelope. The kids report card that was supposed to be signed and returned. I emailed the teacher. It's fine. Let it go.

But what's to be done about deciphering my own ramblings after all this time? Well, it took me a minute, but I finally got that I needed dog food. I must have picked that up already. The dog looks fine. Check. Deli meat, also check. My daughter definitely got a haircut. I do recall that much. And then it all came together. I was not vowing to never leave some dude named Lesley Nelson Burns. He wrote a song a character was going to sing in one of my stories, and they were going to play an instrument, something soothing and romantic. This was also good news for my daughter who had read my crazy-sauce and thought I was getting her a 'stupid flute' for a graduation present. I think I might call the consignment shop. I bet they'll have one for cheap.

She'll never read my notes again. Good times.

So what's some of your crazy-sauce? Find the nearest scrap of paper and do tell.


Happy Friday!